


Hello, Stranger, I Love You

by Storywriter



Series: JonDami Week 2019 [2]
Category: Super Sons (Comics)
Genre: Day 2: Secret Relationship/Protective, JonDami Week 2019, M/M, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 06:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17658146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storywriter/pseuds/Storywriter
Summary: In a world where heroes are more protective of their secret identities, a love triangle can become a complicated tangle between different personas. Or, the one where Jon is in love with Robin, Robin isn’t interested in Superboy, and Damian has a crush on Jon. (For JonDami Week 2019, Day 2: Secret relationship/Protective)





	Hello, Stranger, I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : I don’t own Batman, Superman, or any of DC’s characters.
> 
> I misread “Secret Relationship” as “Secret Identity” and then ended up making a secret identity AU where the heroes are more protective of the secret identities than in Canon. Ehehehe...sorry?
> 
> **Important Note** : this is set in an AU where superheroes are much more protective of their secret identities, and so no one outside of the immediate family (and Batman, because he’s really that paranoid, though the rest of the Bat Family tries to restrain themselves from finding out unless it’s absolutely necessary) knows who is who. Other than that, this generally follows Canon (so yes, Jon aged-up happened here).

 Jon sighed as he put his books in his locker.

 

At eighteen years-old, the teenage superhero was set to graduate soon, but there was one final obstacle he must overcome before he could truly call himself a man. It was a trial so difficult that even he—son of Superman, who has travelled the universe and fought his way out of evil alternate universes and insane grandpa’s influence—was reluctant to do. A Herculean task so heavy and important that thinking about it made his knees quake.

He have to ask someone to go to prom with him.

More specifically, he wanted to ask  _Robin_  to go out with him.

Things had become a bit...different between them after his return from space a year go. They still work together well _(in fact, Robin let him join much more missions with him than when he was 10)_ , but the easy camaraderie was...not gone exactly—there were still a fair few moments where they could forget his 3 weeks disappearance and 7 years aged-up—but it had... dissolve, to say the least. Robin acted less like a child around him _(though according to his family, he still acted much more like his actual age whenever Jon was around)_ , treating him the same as he treated the Teen Titans. A peer. An equal. A...colleague.

_(Yes, that was the word. Something a bit more than allies but a little less than friends.)_  

The realisation had hurt more than Jon thought, especially when, ironically, Robin was the one who accepted him the quickest when he returned from his trip to space. It took a while for his family to get used to the idea that he was no longer the same ten years-old that left them _(even though he was, in all the ways that was important)_ , and for a long time he knew that they were looking for a ‘cure’ to return him back to the age they knew him as. That had hurt too—a kind of guilty pain mixed with suppressed indignation and frustration that smouldered in his chest—because to him those seven years, painful though it had been, was a part of his life now, and he couldn’t just take it back. He wasn’t certain if he wanted to, to be honest.

Robin understood though.

_(”I was raised as a killer for the first ten years of my life, the heir to the League of Assassins. I know that Father and my siblings often wish to change fate and erase that past from me, letting me start over in a more ‘normal’ family.” Robin had told him when he confessed his frustration over his parents, a year ago under the moonlight as they stake out a warehouse for drug dealers. “I understand where they’re coming from. I, too, wish that no child ever has to suffer the same fate I’ve gone through...But that’s the past. Whether I like it or not, it’s a part of me now. To change it or erase it...It would mean to change and erase **me** .”)_

He didn’t realise it then, but that was the day Jon fell in love with him.

It was just... _nice_ to have someone accept him, unquestioningly, unconditionally. Robin was...he was definitely not what Jon had envisioned his childhood hero to be. As a child, before he realised his legacy and lineage, Jon had admired Robin for his bravery and skills. He was ten, yet he fought with a sword and kicked bad guys twice his size every night. He was Jon’s inspiration, somebody he aspired to be like when he was first given the mantle of Superboy. Robin was Jon’s hero.

_(He may have a **bit** of a hero crush on Robin as a kid, but what child doesn’t?)_

Then they met for the first time and...well, that snuffed out the crush pretty quickly.

Yet after that initial disappointment and fighting, they became friends, and the more time they spent together, the more Jon realised that he was better than the Robin in his head, because he was real, and Jon was actually fighting crime with him, saving each other’s lives, having fun together...

Everything was great.

Then the whole summer space trip happened, and Jon would forever kick himself for what happened next, for being so blind to his grandfather’s insanity. Why didn’t he saw it sooner?

_(A part of him, the same part that smouldered with suppressed indignation and frustration, wondered almost guiltily: **Why did his parents leave him with Jor-El?** )_

There were plenty of things he regretted over that summer _(seven years)_ , things that he had to mourn silently lest his parents would know and be even more burdened with guilt. His lost childhood, the seven years of lost time that could never be recovered. Growing up and learning about his powers with his Dad, his Mom’s hugs and kisses and pies, spending time with Robin...

He didn’t tell anyone about this, showing them a happy front _(which was mostly true, because he was genuinely happy to be back)_. Nobody, except Robin.

_(Because Robin understood, perhaps more than anyone else, how it felt to lose so much time and not realise it until after the fact. To lose an entire childhood )_

Robin wasn’t the hero Jon envisioned as a child; he was _better_. Prickly, cold, and aloof, with equal parts recklessness and cunning that was both amazing and worrying; that was the parts that most saw in him. Yet Robin also understood what Jon was going through, and accepted him with ease. Fearless in the face of adversity, secretly caring to innocents and those he liked, and very considerate to his friends and family, though he liked to hide it under an aloof exterior, covering up the personalised gifts under the veil of anonymity. Robin was _kind_.

It was that kindness that made Jon fell in love with him.

But then...after Jon returned from space, after the initial shock wore off and acceptance settled it, Robin had begun to treat him like an equal. That made him happy, but also sad. He knew, logically, that things would change when he returned, but he had been hoping that some things would remain the same. And well...Robin still treated him more or less the same, but their dynamics had changed. One of them was almost an adult now, and even though they were only three years apart, the gulf between an eighteen years-old and a fifteen years-old seemed wide.

_(Maybe it would be easier in time. Jon noticed that a three years gap seemed to be nothing after both parties were adults. He hoped that was true.)_

And there was another problem: He didn’t even know Robin’s real name.

It was a thing among superheroes: _Only tell your secret identity to your family._ The idea was that, in case one of them was compromised _(either because of brainwashing, mind-reading, etc)_ , then the rest wouldn’t fall. Jon understood the logic of it, but he wished he could tell Robin. He already trusted him with his life, what was one more thing? 

_(In his daydreams, he would tell Robin his secret identity, and in return Robin would take off his mask. They would talk, he would confess, and Robin would reciprocate his feelings. It was unlikely though, given that Robin never showed romantic interest in anyone that he knew of, but a Super can dream...)_

Maybe that way the gulf between them would narrow a little bit.

Jon sighed, shoulders slumped as he shut his locker door. He wanted to ask Robin out to prom, but honestly, that wasn’t what he _really_ wanted. What he wanted was to have Robin in his daily life too, to hang out with him outside of hero work. And maybe...

The half-Kryptonian shook his head. _That won’t happen, Kent._

“Jon!” 

He turned, and upon seeing who had called him, smiled. Damian Wayne walked down the hall, mouth turned down in his customary frown. His bright green eyes narrowed at him in...anger? Annoyance? Irritation? It was a bit hard to tell with the younger teen. Damian always seemed irate whenever he saw him, rarely smiling or laughing. The younger teen would snark and smirk and chuckle, but never more than that. In a way, it reminded Jon of a certain bird he loved.

“Hey, Damian!” Jon greeted him with a smile. “What’s up?”

“What’s up? Where were you for the meeting?” Right, he signed up to help the others prepare for prom, and he had dragged Damian into it. “The only reason I joined was because you forced me to! That means you _have_ to attend the meetings with me.”

“Sorry, sorry...it won’t happen again.” Jon gave him an apologetic grin. Damian glared at him for a bit before he sighed.

“Whatever.” The green-eyed teen adjusted the strap of his backpack. “So, you’re heading home now?”

“Hmm...no. Not yet. I was thinking of heading to the park for a bit.” Jon answered. “I...got some stuff I need to sort out. I think a walk and some fresh air may help.”

“Mind if I join?”

If it was anyone else, Jon would probably have said no, but he knew that Damian was rather quiet and wouldn’t disturb him thinking. Besides, sometimes his friend gave pretty good advice.

“No,” he replied, turning to head towards the door, “It’ll be nice to have company.”

As they left the school grounds and head to the park a few blocks away, Jon thought about his friend. Damian was a strange kid. He came from Gotham, yet he went to school in Metropolis _(though given that Gotham was usually overrun with crazy villains and Metropolis was protected by a pair of near-godlike aliens, he supposed he could understand why)_ , and he was so smart that he skipped several grades. That was how he met him, actually. One day, Damian just appeared in his AP Chemistry class and they hit it off from there. It turned out that they shared some classes, and Jon’s presence was the only Damian deemed ‘tolerable’ while Jon felt amused by the observation and interested in the lonely kid, and so they became fast friends.

Sometimes, Jon felt that he met Damian before, but dismissed that thought. The Waynes were practically celebrities, and Batman and his family were closely affiliated with the Waynes _(rumours had it that the Wayne family funded Batman)_ , so it was possible that he had briefly saw Damian on TV or during a mission briefing or something. It wasn’t something that warranted further thought.

Once they arrived at the park, Jon sat down under a tree and watched Damian did the same.

“So what’s bothering you?” Damian asked after he had settled his back on the tree.

Jon made a vague waving motion. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old.”

“That crush of yours?” Damian frowned. “I don’t understand why you continue pining for him when it’s clear he doesn’t see you the same way.”

“Yeah, but...” Jon laid down, rolling to his side to hide his blush. “It’s just...I think he’s really cool and nice. Sure, not a lot of people would say that, but if really know him, you’ll know that he’s actually pretty amazing.”

From his position on the ground, Jon didn’t see Damian’s frown deepen, his green eyes narrowing in irritation.

“I wouldn’t know since you won’t even tell me his name, much less introduce him.” Damian replied, his tone half-biting.

“Ah...yeah...Sorry, it’s just...he’s _really_ shy...” Jon lied. Robin was the _last_ person he would consider shy. The other teen hero was always so brash and stubborn, going headfirst into everything with a drive that was both inspiring and a bit scary. Still, he couldn’t exactly say the real reason to his civilian friend.

“T— _Hmph,_ ” Damian made a quick, almost aborted sound in annoyance. Jon wondered if he was trying to kick out a habit or something. For as long as he knew him, whenever Damian was annoyed he would make a ’ _tch’_ sound, but then stopped halfway and end up with _’hmph’_. Was he told not to do that by someone?

_(Robin liked to make a similar ’tch’ sound whenever he was annoyed, his tongue clicking against the back of his teeth to make a quick, sharp sound. It drove Jon crazy and made him want to kiss him.)_

Jon, lost in his thoughts, didn’t see Damian picking at the grass next to him irritably. “Did you at least tell him you like him?”

“Uh...” Jon gave a sheepish grin. “...No...?”

“Idiot,” Damian muttered under his breath, letting go of the grass to lightly shove his shoulder. “How can he know your feelings if you never tell him? For all you know, he might be incredibly dense.”

“I dunno...Robert is pretty smart...”

“Please.” Damian rolled his green eyes. Sometimes, when the light hit his eyes in a certain way, it reminded Jon of kryptonite. “One of my brothers is considered a ‘genius’, yet he didn’t even realise his best friend was crushing on him, despite how _obvious_ it is to anyone who has eyes. Just because they’re intelligent doesn’t mean they’re all-knowing.”

That...made a lot of sense, Jon inwardly conceded. He wondered which brother Damian was talking about. The story reminded him of his brother, Conner, and Robin’s brother, Red Robin. It was clear as day that Conner liked Red Robin a lot, yet the other hero never seemed to notice it...

A thought bloomed in his head, one that filled him with simultaneous hope and despair: _What if Robin doesn’t know?_

It would explain a lot. All the times he thought he was acting stupid and obvious, yet the other teen hero would brush it away as if it was nothing...Before, Jon interpreted as rejection at worst, or Robin trying to be polite at best. Whenever Robin would ignore him blushing or stammering Jon would feel both relief and annoyance. Relief because he didn’t have to confess his feelings, but also annoyance that it seemed that the one he loved had ignored him. _If he didn’t know..._

Then there was no excuses. Jon had to tell him or else suffer this feeling in silence.

“I guess...” Jon bit his lip. “Yeah, maybe...Maybe I’ll confess the next time I see him. And ask him to go to prom with me as well.”

“Great.” Damian said flatly, but Jon didn’t catch his unenthusiasm, too busy lost in his own worries to noticed. He didn’t notice Damian crushing the grass next to him.

“Thanks, D. You really helped.” Jon grinned up at him.

“No problem.” Damian replied tonelessly, quietly muttering under his breath. “If only I can take my own advice...”

“Huh, what’s that?”

The civilian teen looked away. “It’s nothing.”

“You sure about it?” Thank goodness he has superhearing, or else he wouldn’t have caught that. Jon pushed himself up to a sitting position. “Do you like someone?”

That was news to him. He was pretty sure that Damian wasn’t interested in anyone romantically. Even though some girls and guys had tried to fawn over him to get his money, the youngest Wayne never seemed to care about them.

Damian hugged his knees, his cheeks turning red. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Oh come on. You helped me with this, it’s only fair I help too.”

Jon gave him the _“You can trust me”_ and _”I’m here to help”_ smile that usually worked when he was Superboy. Damian narrowed his eyes at him, but Jon simply nudged him lightly in return. This usually worked on Robin, and if it worked on _him_ then it should work for Damian too.

Eventually, Damian relented. “This guy I like has a crush on someone else. So it’s pointless for me to try.”

“What!? It’s not pointless, you said so yourself. How can he know you like him if you never tell him?”

“I’m pretty certain he doesn’t like me.” Damian muttered.

“Well...” Jon scratched his head for something to say. “If you don’t tell him, then it’s inevitable that he would fall for someone else. Maybe not his crush, but you know...”

Damian pressed his face onto his knees. “I heard that he’s planning to confess soon.”

“Isn’t that even more reason to try? At least if you try, then you won’t have any regrets later.”

“...True.” The younger teen peeked at him from his knees. “...When are you going to confess to your crush?”

“Uh...well...probably the next time I see him.” Jon blushed. “...So maybe tonight?”

“Tonight, huh?” Damian mused. He pressed his face against his knees again, before eventually nodding. “...Alright then.”

“That’s the spirit! Uh...what are you doing?”

Quicker than Jon was able to process it, his civilian best friend grabbed his collar, pulled him close, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered into his ear:

“I like _you_ , Jonathan Samuel Kent.”

Then, as swiftly as that had happened, Damian let him go and left.

Jon could only stare at the spot where he had been, mouth agape. Did Damian just...Did he...A hand shakily reached up to touch his cheek. _He did_. Damian Wayne, son of billionaire Bruce Wayne, his civilian best friend, liked him.

_Whoa._

But that...even though Damian had just confessed to him, it didn’t change his feelings for Robin. Guiltily, Jon wondered how to break the news to his friend. _I’m sorry, I like you but just as friends? I’m sorry, but I already love another guy?_

No wonder Damian was reluctant to tell him until the very last second. He _knew_ Jon would turn him down.

Groaning, Jon pressed his face to his hands.

_What am I supposed to do now?_

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I got a blog for comic reviews. If you guys are interested, please check it out: [VixComics](https://vixcomics.com/)


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